Iconoclasts - Anna Von Hausswolff
A decent sampling of: Neoclassical Darkwave, Post-Rock, Drone, Dark Ambient, Art Pop
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the women who make massive sounding albums and sing with voices like raw forces of nature. And this woman is certainly no exception.
Anna Von Hausswolff is a Swedish singer/songwriter/producer and pipe organist. Yes, you read that right; the pipe organ, as in one of the most badass musical instruments ever invented, and a personal favourite of mine.
Anna possesses a soprano register that is bright, glaring, and bold. The sound of her voice often pierces through the looming arrangements of her music like cracks of moonlight in an otherwise completely darkened cathedral. One might even consider it slightly shrill, and I'm inclined to agree, though I think that is perfectly fine for the kind of music that she sets out to make.
Anna Von Hausswolff became one of the most celebrated contemporary names in the gothic music scene when she released Dead Magic in 2018, an LP of just 5 tracks that nevertheless felt like an perilous journey along old abandoned footpaths through the thickest and coldest midnight fog. The opening track "The Truth, The Glow, The Fall" is still one of my absolute favourite pieces of music that's longer than 10 minutes.
Alongside Lingua Ignota, Anna helped to revive interest in the niche genre of neoclassical darkwave among a new generation of listeners near the turn of the decade.
She's also had her fair share of controversy while touring in Europe, mostly because a bunch of prudish Jesus freaks got their panties in a knot that she was *gasp* performing secular music in churches with bad words and references to demons. I find this laughable because Anna Von Hausswolff is honestly so incredibly far from how disturbing and demonic-sounding gothic music can get. Like, have these people never listened to Diamanda Galas heave and screech into a mic for 17 minutes straight like she's one of the pitchfork-wielding imps of hell? Sheesh.
Anyhow, its been a while since Anna Von Hausswolff released a new album. Her previous one, 2020's All Thoughts Fly, was somewhat divisive for being a minimalist instrumental record that greatly departed from the more melodic goth fantasy realm of her previous work. I haven't listened to the whole thing, so I got nothing to say about it personally, but will say that I like many others was anticipating when we would get to hear her sing on a full album again.
This year, our patience was rewarded with Iconoclasts. On this new record, Anna returns to the mic and graces us not only with her voice at its most prominent, but with a new accompanying sound that is more soothing and welcoming than ever before, but no less frighteningly grandiose. The stricter goth elements have been dampened in order to give more breathing room to a wider array of emotions and aesthetic worlds. The record is also more rock-oriented, almost like an arena rock vibe, but instead of a traditional "arena" it's actually just a colossal cathedral with waves crashing inside of it.
Anna gets very showy and theatrical with the pipe organ this time around, and the record features a lot of woodwinds on top of its usual organ and rock instrumentation. In particular, the saxophone, courtesy of Otis Sandsjö, serves to be nearly as essential as the pipe organ on several tracks, and is even the star instrument on one or two songs. While the A-side is basically massive art rock ballads throughout the good majority of its run-time, the B-side of Iconoclasts contains several drone and ambient pieces that are more in line with the forlorn atmosphere of her previous work.
The title of the record refers to Anna Von Hausswolff having received inspiration from several figures she considered to be "iconoclasts" - people who go against the established order and challenge us to embrace new ways of thinking and doing. Literally, it also means someone who blasphemes, which I can't help but think is a petty wink to the adversity she has faced previously from her Christian fundamentalists haters which, lol 💅.
Lyrically, the album is concerned with strife and despair, the passage of time, and a desire to break free from old ways and the shackles of society. It's full of darkness and uncertainty, but it's also determined in its valiant quest to find answers, and more light in tone than any of her previous work that I've been exposed to.
"Facing Atlas" has to be the most stunning and purgative introduction to anything that I've heard this year, maybe this decade. Okay, this technically is the second track, but its the first on the album with vocals, and very much feels like the part where the gates of heaven are flung wide open. I can imagine this playing in the background as I'm surrounded by a blinding white glow, tears streaming in thick lines from my eyes as I stare eyes wide open at the most beautiful glimpse of the meaning of life. That chord progression is just...wow, that shit is overwhelming. Never have I heard something so crass as "The world is full of shit and full of evil" sound so utterly divine, especially as it's followed by Anna's heart-wrenching delivery of "...but there you stand", as if this is the penultimate moment of an entire lifetime of love and suffering.
Descending from heavenly grace, "The Iconoclast" casts the listener into the tempests of fiery passion. It's the longest track on the record, and certainly the most masterful in both its composition and execution. There's a sense of urgency, that the world has almost already ended. But among the wretched ashes lies a small ember of hope that must be protected at all costs. The organ lead and the vocal harmonies around the three and a half minute mark is perhaps my favourite moment on the record. The outro almost chokes me up - "seeking answers in all the wrong places, it's expensive to be alive" sums up how a lot of this past year felt, and it's refreshing to see an artist marry the gargantuan arrangements and whimsical symbolism with thoughts that are very candid and resonate deeply with the human experience. Truly astonishing, and another contender for SOTY.
The uptempo "Stardust" is the record's most ecstatic composition. A thundering romp of organ and drums that feels celebratory, cathartic, and somehow full of both unbridled joy and ritualistic wrath. Every time that whirling central motif comes crashing in, it's as if she's just knocked down another monument of a false idol and it's collapsing into hundreds of pieces. I just have to turn my headphones up on full blast whenever this shit comes on, eardrums be damned.
"Aging Young Woman" is perhaps the poppiest song in the Anna Von Hausswolff repertoire to date, but it is also one of her most divine melodies. She specifically wrote this song as a duet with Ethel Cain in mind, and I do think their voices pair beautifully together. Ethel Cain is someone I've been lukewarm about ever since listening to her debut LP, but I do really enjoy the deeper, softer earthiness her voice brings to this song as a contrast to Anna's more powerful and shimmering soprano. These two voices echo as different sonic shades of glowing purple, reverberating off of walls in a vast hall of dreams. The arrangement is also weirdly giving me Enya in the best way possible.
"Struggle With The Beast" revisits a saxophone motif introduced in the opening track, and builds on it with an increased tempo and intensity. This gives way to low horns that sound like they're meant to be heralding the arrival of the great ships of viking gods, followed by the record's greatest technical display of virtuosity and heavy rock fury. It takes nearly four minutes just for Anna's vocals to make their debut in the song, but when it does, holy hell. A masterclass in delayed gratification.
What follows is "An Ocean of Time", the most spellbinding and subdued piece on the record. I love an ambient/drone piece that manages to maintain its intrigue and engagement while still feeling like it could be endless if it really wanted to be. The encroaching stillness of this track is palpable - the sensation of particles beginning to slow down and settle in as a deep cold takes over. The way that the vocal climbs she performs get more elongated and complex every time she repeats the refrain is also just brilliant.
Having said all that, I do wanna talk one minute to discuss one major gripe I have with this record and make my stance very clear:
Iggy Pop's feature on the record. 🥴
I don't know how it is still possible in the year 2025 that artists like Iggy Pop, Anthony Kiedis, or Steven Tyler continue to face zero consequences, after having shown no remorse to this day, for hedonistically taking advantage of minors for their own perverse sexual conquest. I can separate the art from the artist to some extent, particularly if it is not their poor character being reflected in the lyrics itself, but I draw a hard fucking line at creepy aging nonces who clearly have not taken any accountability for their actions, regardless of how grossly normalized it was for hard rock sex icons to be bedding seriously underage girls in the 70s and 80s.
I want to give Anna the benefit of the doubt and say that she simply doesn't know Iggy's history, but come on - she couldn't have gotten Nick Cave or literally anyone else to be the baritone on this duet? Moreover, he doesn't sound that good at all, and it really drags down what would otherwise have been one of the best songs on the record with its enchanting atmosphere. Gives me squicky feelings every time I listen, and I might just have to start skipping it, even if the instrumental is gorgeous.
Unfortunate and underperforming collaborations aside, I still really love this record. I just had to warn you about that part before going in to it.
Overall though, Iconoclasts is easily the best longer album listening experience of 2025. This record is simply incredible in scope, and the sheer beauty and grace it manages to capture during its highest highs are among the greatest of the decade so far. Let Anna Von Hausswolff's world of thunder and glory wash all over you, and you will feel completely renewed.
Highlights: "The Iconoclast", "Stardust", "Facing Atlas", "Struggle With The Beast", "Aging Young Woman (feat. Ethel Cain)", "An Ocean of Time", "Rising Legends", "The Beast"
Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine
It'll End In Tears by This Mortal Coil
Remain by Them Are Us Too
